THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 27, 1996 TAG: 9602270410
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
After nine relatively close games in two weeks, Kempsville was due for a blowout.
Booker T. Washington provided the opposition Monday in an Eastern Region girls quarterfinal and the Chiefs took advantage with a 68-41 victory that was even more lopsided than the score would indicate.
Top-ranked Kempsville (25-2) goes on to face Churchland - a 51-48 winner over Bethel - in a 7:30 p.m. semifinal Wednesday at Churchland with a berth to the Group AAA state quarterfinals at stake.
The Bookers (14-7) were never in the game, falling behind 9-0 before Tasha Basnight finally scored halfway through the first quarter.
``It was nice to have a game like this because of the way the last two weeks were. But we didn't play any less hard that usual,'' said Kempsville guard Charlette Fayton, who scored a team-high 21 points in about three quarters of action. ``We've been here before and we know what's coming.''
The rest of the way won't likely be the breeze Monday was.
Kempsville led by 10 after the first and a 22-10 second quarter enabled both coaches to empty their benches in the second half.
The Chiefs' full court pressure defense was the difference, forcing Booker T. into nine first-half turnovers and 19 for the game.
``Defense has been the key to our team and an effort like tonight is expected from us,'' Kristen Cholewa said. ``We had kind of heard about Booker T., but we really didn't know what to expect. So we just went out and played the kind of game we play and it worked for us tonight.''
Kempsville clinched it in the third quarter, scoring 18 points while holding the Bookers to only 2 for a 38-point lead - the biggest of the game.
By then, it was time for everybody to see action and Booker T. won the final period with a 21-10 advantage.
But it was too little too late.
``They wanted to slow it down and control the tempo and that was a good game plan,'' Chiefs coach Greg Dunn said. ``But we just wouldn't let them do it and we got them playing helter skelter for a while.''
Kempsville got Booker T. point guard Raquita Washington in foul trouble and that helped the cause. Washington picked up her third foul midway through the second quarter and went to the bench. On the first play of the second half, she picked up her fourth and didn't return to the game until 6:01 left in the final period.
Basnight was the spark down the stretch, scoring 13 of her game-high 23 in the fourth quarter - where she was 7 of 8 from the line to go with three shots from the field.
``She's an incredible player,'' Dunn said. ``She really kept at it in there and you like to see that from a player.''
Aside from Fayton, Kempsville got its usual balanced attack. Cholewa had nine points to go with four teams, five rebounds and five assists. Melissa Kristofak also had nine points. Toni Patillo had seven rebounds and five assists to go with four points. by CNB